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Introduction To A Beginning–

I hesitate to write about The Creation Story of Genesis. It is controversial between those who are fundamentalists (literal take on each Genesis verse) and those who believe in evolution. That tension leads to a lot of vitriol with ad hominem cherries on top. Therefore, I would prefer to avoid the literalism of that whenever possible.

Somewhere in between are those that want to make it allegorical to the point that theological ramifications follow which take away the power of the gospel. My point of view is that if Adam was not a literal man, whether from primordial ooze or the direct hand of God, then there is no original sin, no need for the Savior and Paul was deceived when he referred to the historical Christ as the second Adam.

But with all of the challenges to taking it on, I am pressing forward trying to unpack some meaning for my journey and suggested ones for the reader of a God who keeps His ways as they are from the beginning to the end. Is there a promise here? No, not until the sixth chapter which is far further than I plan to go at least with concentration. But what you find when you go through the first three chapters of Genesis is a foundation of patterns that God puts down as hints or breadcrumbs by which we can better perceive what He was up to and how we apply it all. He gives us through the entire Bible and even beyond an understanding through a still small voice, an empowered faith community and even in His silence.

Another lens to keep in mind is the words of Augustine of the 4th century. He came from a very non-orthodox background but was converted to following Jesus when St. Ambrose of Milan preached off of the Old Testament and the New showing the seamless connections in a homily of the day’s scripture reading. He then came to the conclusion that “the old testament is the new testament concealed and the new testament is the old testament revealed”.

The patterns we get are first in the authority of God (God speaks, creation responds and there is….), natural law (it is there to maintain the best balance of creation possible) social law (how we relate to each others as intelligent beings made in His image) and blessing (“It is good”). A verse much later in the scheme of things that relates to us is “We are His workmanship, created for good works in Christ (Ephesians 2:10). So, if we are going to do good works, are we following what God is speaking to us? Are we following His order of things? Are we walking as people that are blessed already or only striving to be blessed?

If you at least believe in God, you can believe there is an answer to those questions. If you are an agnostic or deist (God is on the other side of the universe and very hands off) you will not be for long if you keep open to the answers. Humanity, by design, is built to struggle with those questions even when we ask with the wrong presuppositions in the mix. For the readers that stick with the unfolding of these blog posts, I ask that you keep seeking, keep asking and keep knocking for what you were created for and hopefully Who. The kind of questions I want to bring up are not answered by a What but by a Who.

But if you are connected to your Creator, what happens? Recovery. I do not speak of this as an intellectual pursuit, but a relational one and partly inspired by being an alcohol and drug counselor. Often in my facility my clients are asking some of those questions in some kind of semantics. They may even do this with the famous 12 Steps. One step is giving themselves over to the care of their Higher Power but only after they admit they are powerless of their addiction.

If you choose to seek what may be for you an Unknown God, the risk is that you will lose some of your control. Maybe it might seem to be all of it. But you also risk recovery into the life you were created for. Let there be light.